Halt's Youth
by catalystkrish
Summary: A couple of scenes from when Halt was young and still the Crown Prince of Clonmel.
1. Chapter 1

"Halt!"

Queen Jessamine was usually renowned as a beautiful lady. With her face twisted up in anger, however, she didn't look nearly as pretty. "Halt!" she bellowed again.

Ferris O'Carrick, her second son, stood by her side. "I wonder where he's gone," he murmured.

Jessamine loved Ferris. He was the light of her world, always laughing and playing. He wasn't as intelligent and bright as Halt, but he also wasn't burdened with Halt's dry, sarcastic wit. And he definitely acted more like a crown prince than his older brother.

"Halt, I swear, if you don't come here right now, I will lock you in your room for the next month!"

Jessamine waited, peering into the nighttime gloom that had already shrouded the garden. The garden was silent and empty except for her, Ferris, and two guards. She felt inordinately foolish, standing here and calling out into the dark.

Then, Halt was there, in front of her. If was like he'd detached himself from a tree or something. One moment, she was sure he hadn't been there. Now, here he was. It wasn't proper for someone to make themselves invisible, least of all the crown prince of Clonmel.

Halt, usually expressionless or bored, looked strangely alive tonight. There was a glint in his eye and a spring to his step. As he crossed into a shaft of moonlight, Jessamine caught sight of a quicksilver smirk flashing across his features.

There was no person alive in Clonmel who would say, truthfully, that Prince Halt O'Carrick was not good-looking. He had sharp, angular features and dark eyes that seemed to hold a thousand secrets. Ferris was more open and smiling, while Halt was a bundle of mysteries.

"Took you long enough," snapped Jessine, still slightly unnerved by Halt's sudden appearance.

"I was debating whether or not to show myself," said the boy carelessly. "Poor Ferris doesn't look too happy that I came back, does he?"

Ferris, in fact, looked livid. Jessamine chose to ignore this.

"If you continue like this, you will not be fit to be king when the time comes," she warned Halt. He shrugged. That was the thing about Halt; he never seemed to care about anything. But with him, you never knew.

"Ferris can be king," he said.

Ferris looked at Jessamine. "Mother," he urged. "It's not such a bad idea, actually. Halt isn't interested, but I am fully qualified-"

She cut him off gently. "I know, darling, but Halt was born first. Therefore, he is the crown prince."

Halt shrugged, flashing a sarcastic smile at Ferris. "Pity that. Oh, well, I guess I'll have to get used to be the King of Clonmel then. I really envy you, Ferris."

The look in Ferris's eyes would have struck down a Kalkara.


	2. Chapter 2

"Fishing," Halt's father had said, "is an important skill to have. It teaches patience and alertness."

So here he was, seated in a rickety little boat, dipping the end of a rod into a lake and waiting. Just… waiting.

Ferris had already caught two fish and looked pleased with himself. Halt, who hated being one-upped, had caught none.

He decided he didn't like fishing.

"Something bothering you, big brother?" asked Ferris a little too innocently.

"Of course not," snapped Halt. "What on earth could bother me while fishing? It's too damn boring to be bothered about."

Ferris shrugged. "I suppose it isn't for everyone."

Halt had a strong urge to snap back with a certain line. He knew he was asking for trouble, but he couldn't help it. "You know, Ferris, you're right. You are much more suited for this kind of thing than I am. After all, as the future King of Clonmel, I won't really have time for leisure activities like fishing."

Ferris's eyes burned with hate. Halt stared back, unblinking, cool and confident. Finally, Ferris dropped his gaze. He'd never been able to hold his own against Halt. He wasn't confident enough, or smart enough. _God forbid he ever becomes king,_ thought Halt. _For the sake of Clonmel._

They drifted a little farther out on the lake, bobbing slightly. Halt couldn't wait to get back on dry land; here, in the middle of a body of water, he felt oddly exposed. Any enemy of his would be able to strike him down easily in this position.

Just as the boat passed under a hanging vine, Halt caught sight of a flurry of movement in the corner of his eye. Before he could react, Ferris had already leaned over, grabbed him, and shoved out of the boat. Maintaining a strong grip on Halt's tunic, he proceeded to dunk his older brother into the water and hold him there.

Halt struggled against Ferris's grip, kicking and splashing wildly. The other boy, driven by hate and jealousy, had an almost inhumanly strong grip on the tunic.

But Halt was stronger. With a Herculean effort he broke free of the grasp and propelled himself away from the boat, stopping only when Ferris was a good thirty feet away.

Ferris was apologizing profusely, holding out his arms for Halt to take, calling for the guard's help. But Halt had had enough. This racked up as the fifth attempt on his life by Ferris.

Was it worth it, staying here? His parents despised him, his brother wanted him dead. He was destined for a position he didn't want. The only bright side to it all was his sister, Celina.

In the grand scheme of things, it wasn't worth it for Halt to stay any longer. He wasn't welcome in the royal family of Clonmel. It would be better for everyone if he just vanished.

Ferris was still calling him. Halt fixed him with eyes colder than a Skandian winter before swimming smoothly to the opposite bank. Once his feet were on dry land again, he pulled off his gold jewelry and the emerald amulet that marked him as Prince Halt O'Carrick. Prince Halt was dead now, as far as anyone was concerned. He'd drowned while fishing. The Crown Prince was now Ferris O'Carrick.

But Halt didn't intend to go out as a nobody. He would forge his own path. He would become a legend in his own time, if it was the last thing he did.


End file.
